Apparatuses for changing the diapers of a baby or "changing a baby" and other small children not yet toilet trained, have become widely used, such as in public restrooms, to assist a parent or other child supervisor when changing a baby's diapers. Such baby diaper changing apparatuses, oftentimes referred to as simply baby changing stations, have taken various forms as evidenced by patents in the field, and generally take the form of a base which is mounted vertically onto a surface of a wall and a support platform or surface which is hingedly mounted to the base to hinge down from the base and lie generally horizontal to support a baby. While available baby changing stations may operate sufficiently for the primary purpose of offering a surface on which to rest a baby during a diaper change, the currently available stations have various drawbacks and, specifically, do not address the needs of facility owners who must maintain the restrooms or other facilities in which the baby changing apparatuses are mounted.
First, most conventional stations have interior hinge detail and are difficult to clean and maintain and inherently are not capable of being thoroughly cleaned even when an effort is made to do so. Currently available baby changing stations utilize complicated hinge structures with multiple elements which are either exposed when the diaper changing platform or support platform is hinged down to a horizontal position to receive a baby or when the platform is hinged up against the wall. The hinge structures on the inside, while strong, create a large number of crevices and joints which trap dirt, bacteria, and other undesirable materials to which the upper working surface or changing surface of the platform is exposed. When such material gets into and between the hinge structures, it is difficult to remove and thus creates an environment for germs. Cleaning personnel will generally not take the time necessary to clean in between the various cracks and crevices of the hinge structure to remove the material. Furthermore, even substantial efforts to do so may be unsuccessful due to the depths of the crevices. Dedicating cleaning personnel to such a difficult task removes them from other tasks and slows their efficiency, thus increasing the costs of cleaning and maintaining the facilities.
One alternative for a thorough cleaning is disassembly of the diaper changing station. With respect to available diaper changing stations, disassembly of the unit is generally not an option. Additionally, removing the unit from the wall for cleaning purposes is also undesirable and generally unrealistic. As such, facility owners who maintain the restrooms and the baby changing stations find it difficult to adequately clean the stations. If the stations are not thoroughly cleaned, they accumulate dirt and thus will not be appealing for use by the facility's patrons. From a business standpoint, having a dirty baby changing station which is not used is generally a worse alternative than having no baby changing station at all.
The available stations use hinge structures which require various crevices and openings. Such hinge structures are necessary for supporting the baby platform. Therefore, they have been used despite cleaning issues because they are strong. Any attempts to reduce the crevices around the hinge structures of such baby changing apparatuses can only be done if the structural integrity of the apparatus is not jeopardized. That is, the support platform must remain sufficiently strong to support the weight of a baby or small child. Actually, the support platform must be able to support a weight significantly more than the weight of a small child.
Another drawback to conventional stations is the exposed hinge structures which may be seen either when the baby platform is up in a closed position or when the platform is down in the opened position. The hinge structures are very noticeable and thus detract from the appearance of the station. It is desirable to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the baby changing station within the restroom environment. The baby changing station must still be comfortable-looking and inviting to entice a parent to use it.
The cost and operation of the baby changing station are also important factors to be considered. A facilities owner does not want to spend an exorbitant amount of money to purchase and then maintain the changer. Therefore, the hinge structure securing the support platform to the base should operate without a large number of complicated, interconnecting parts which are subject to failure and breakage.
It is also desirable to provide a changing station that may be mounted in a number of different ways. Most changing stations are surface mounted to a wall surface and project outwardly into the restroom. Compliance with ADA regulations for restrooms requires that the projection depth from the wall of a baby changing station must be four inches or less. It may be desirable to inset the station into a wall to achieve compliance. However, surface mounting may be the only alternative, and therefore, it is a further objective of the invention to be able to alternatively surface mount or inset a diaper changing station while still maintaining the aesthetic appearance thereof in the restroom facility and without modifying the changing station substantially.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to enhance the cleanability of a baby diaper changing station and to reduce the accumulation of dirt and other undesirable material on the station.
It is a further objective of the invention to ensure that the support platform of the baby changing station is sufficiently strong to hold an amount of weight exceeding the weight of a normal small child.
It is an additional objective of the present invention to provide a baby changing station which is aesthetically pleasing to view, both opened and closed, and is inviting to a child care provider for use in changing a baby's diaper.
It is still another objective of the invention to reduce the purchase and maintenance costs of a baby diaper changing station while providing a durable and easily maintained station.
All of the above-stated objectives must be accomplished while meeting specific construction codes and ADA regulations pertaining to baby changing stations and other restroom fixtures.
These objectives and other objectives are addressed by the present invention and are discussed further hereinbelow.